Use of a wind profiler network to determine air ventilation during high ozone episodes in the Los Angeles basin

During the 1997 Southern California Oxidant Study (SCOS97), a network of more than 20 lower-tropospheric wind profilers was installed in and around the Los Angeles basin. A primary objective of the study is to investigate interaction between the complex terrain of the region and the mesoscale meteorology that ultimately contributes to high pollution events in the basin.

This paper presents a brief overview of the meteorological measurements obtained during SCOS97 and then describes an analysis tool specifically designed to integrate wind profile and mixing height observations from the observing network. The three-dimensional evolution of the wind field over the study area is presented with a special emphasis on the interface between open ocean and land. The effect of the basin and nearby mountains on the spatial distribution of mixing heights is also described for one specific high-ozone episode.